UN Conferences and Summits

The international conferences and summits convened by the United Nations generate intense mobilization around issues of global interest. On the current agenda are two major gatherings, one about sustainable development, the other about the information society.

These meetings, which draw diverse participants ranging from activists of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to heads of state, reached a peak in the 1990s, but continue in the 21st century: at the end of August 2002 begins the World Summit on Sustainable Development, in Johannesburg, and slated for 2003 is the World Summit on the Information Society.

The UN, which informs the world about some of these gatherings on its web site "conferences and events", defends the importance of such conferences for their capacity to bring attention to crucial socio-economic issues, guide national policies, generate debate and the search for consensus on global issues, and to establish goals that governments commit themselves to achieving.

The main criticisms about these events are based precisely on the fact that often the promises go ignored, and the scant number of commitments made at the outset.

These conferences have their own customs: they are preceded by a preparatory process to establish some level of consensus among governments. The process includes the active participation of NGOs, the presentation of an enormous number of documents and intense logistical efforts to handle the thousands of participants. In the end, the governments sign political declarations and plans of action.

In 1990, the importance of these meetings came to light with the World Summit for Children, in which 71 heads of state participated, an unprecedented number, until the 1992 Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, which drew 108 national leaders and delegations from 170 countries.

The achievements made since the 1992 Earth Summit will be studied at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+10. A decade on, the degree of government compliance with the commitments made is not very encouraging.

But there are those who put a positive spin on it: the Rio Summit 10 years ago laid out a concept that since then has permeated the international debates on the future of our society, about sustainable development. In reality, the greatest doubts surround the results of the Rio+10 Summit itself, because the preparatory process did not produce the expected consensus.

The Internet holds information bout these and other conferences, including lists that give an idea of the events organized in recent years, and summaries about their outcomes.

United Nations: Conferences and Events
1990 Children's Summit
1992 Earth Summit
World Summit on Sustainable Development
World Summit on the Information Society

Dengue

Dengue has become a health problem for tropical areas of Latin America over the last several decades. But this disease, cause by four types of virus transmitted by a mosquito, has been known for centuries.

The viruses -- with the scientific labels DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4 -- can cause different manifestations of dengue, the most serious form being hemorrhagic dengue, which can be mortal.

The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has deployed intense operations to aid countries in their battles against the epidemic. On the Internet is a website that serves as the PAHO's center of operations, providing information about the traits of the disease and its presence in the region.

According to the history of dengue in the Americas included on the PAHO site, the disease is believed to have first appeared in 1635 on Martinique and Guadalupe. In the 18th century, dengue epidemics were recorded in the United States, Asia and Africa, and later in Peru.

The resurgence of dengue in recent times, which has hit Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil, and more recently El Salvador and Honduras, is directly related to the proliferation of the virus's vector of transmission, the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

This mosquito species is at home in the urban environment and its presence is reinforced by phenomena like the growth of metropolitan areas and the deterioration of sanitary conditions. The campaigns against dengue are focused on eradication of the Aedes aegypti.

According to figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), the scope of dengue infection has risen dramatically in recent decades and is now an endemic disease in more than 100 countries, endangering some 2.5 billion people.

The Internet holds abundant information about dengue, such as websites with frequently asked questions, explanations about symptoms and treatment, and even lists of health experts dedicated to combating the disease.

Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO): Dengue
PAHO: History of Dengue in the Americas
World Health Organization: Dengue
WHO: DengueNet
U.S. Centers for Disease Control
Microscope view of dengue virus

A Cup of Tea

Tea is a plant of Chinese origin which gave rise to the most widely consumed beverage in the world, from the far East to Latin America. It was first consumed by human beings nearly 5,000 years ago.

Descriptions of the history of tea found on the Internet cite the legend of Chinese Emperor Shen Nung, an herbalist who discovered tea by chance one day as he sat under a wild tea tree, leaves from the tree fell into a pot of boiling water, and he decided to try the brew.

China is considered the birthplace origin of tea or "cha", which was spread throughout Asia, and later the world, by merchants and monks.

According to a website that provides answers to frequently asked questions about tea, there are 3,000 varieties today, although true tea is always brewed from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, the scientific name for the plant.

There are three basic types of tea, depending on the degree of fermentation of the leaves: green, black and oolong. Most of the tea consumed in the West is black.

Many varieties of tea are known by their place of origin, and tea-lovers are familiar with their specific flavors, aromas and characteristics.

The widespread consumption of tea has led to the cultivation of the plants across the world. More than 35 nations in Asia, Africa, the Americas and Oceania are listed as tea producers on a website that reports their share of the competitive global market, which has given rise to institutions like the tea council that links a number of the main exporters.

Tea - home page
Origin of tea
Tea in the world
The Tea Council
The world of tea
Frequently asked questions about tea
Tea producing nations

Mangroves

Mangroves populate the coasts of many tropical and subtropical areas of the world, serving as the backbone of an ecosystem that sustains a great wealth of biodiversity. However, their future is threatened by deforestation and the degradation of their habitat.

Mangrove forests grow in areas where there is abundant water, a mix of fresh and sea water, an ecosystem of marshes or swamps.

According to one Internet site explaining the taxonomy of this unique tree, there are some 100 species within the mangrove family, all of which are vascular plants.

Resistant to salinity, mangroves grow in coastal areas, such as estuaries, and their wood is highly prized. They normally have extensive roots, some of which extend from the trunk and are partially exposed to the air and partially submerged in its watery environs.

These trees produce nutrients that allow a great variety of air, land and aquatic life forms to flourish. The loss of the ecosystem they create means a reduction in biodiversity, coastal erosion, and poor water quality, according to organizations that promote mangrove conservation and sustainable use.

Some of these groups are leading intensive campaigns to save the mangrove, such as the Mangrove Action Plan, which reports that there was a time when three-quarters of the world's tropical and subtropical coasts were populated by these trees. Today, just a portion of that area remains, and at least half is threatened with destruction.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), mangrove forests cover a total of 181,000 square km in different parts of the world.

Mangrove Action Plan
Mangrove Art by Kids
Wetlands and rainforests: Mangroves
FAO: Information on Mangroves
Taxonomy of Mangroves